Example embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a thermoelectric device, and in particular, to thermoelectric elements using a metal-insulator-transition metal.
Thermoelectric devices, as one of clean energy production technologies, have been suggested to produce electricity from waste heat. Conventionally, the thermoelectric devices have been realized using a semiconductor pn junction. The thermoelectric device may convert thermal energy into electric energy using Seeback Effect. Alternatively, the thermoelectric device may increase or decrease a temperature thereof using Peltier Effect, when an external voltage is applied thereto. Thermoelectric efficiency of the thermoelectric devices may be expressed by ZT=(S2s/k)T, where S is a Seeback coefficient, s is electric conductivity, k is thermal conductivity, and T is a measurement temperature. For example, ZT coefficients of 1 and 2 may represent efficiencies of about 10% and 20%, respectively. It has been known that a super lattice structure of Bi2Te3/Sb2Te3 has ZT of 2.5. Junctions made of ceramics p-Si and n-Si are being commercialized as thermoelectric elements. In the meantime, when a car is running, its radiator may be heated up to a temperature of 200° C. In addition, there is a large amount of waste heat of 100° C. near boiler. This means that there is an increasing demand for thermoelectric device efficiently harvesting waste heat of about 200° C. or less.